Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church - Brownton

09/06/2026

Worship Service

09/06/2026

September 6th, Sunday's Bulletin! Click below!

09/05/2026

Our devotion today focuses on Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. This childless couple was surprised when the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, while he was serving as a priest in the temple, and announced that they would have a baby boy. Because of Zechariah’s age, he doubted the words of the angel and became mute until the prophecy was fulfilled. When their son was born, Elizabeth named the baby John, as instructed by Gabriel. Zechariah wrote on a writing tablet, confirming the name of the baby. At the same time, his mouth was opened, and he spoke, “His name is John.” He responded with the song the Benedictus, praising God for his promise of sending the Savior and prophesying that John would be Christ’s forerunner. “Zechariah and Elizabeth are remembered as examples of faithfulness and piety.” (p. 694)

Let us pray: "O God, who alone knits all infants in the womb, You chose improbable servants – old and childless – to conceive and parent the forerunner of Christ and, in so doing, demonstrated again Your strength in weakness. Grant us, who are as unlikely and unworthy as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the opportunity to love and serve You according to Your good and gracious will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 693-694.

Image: “Zechariah Writes Down the Name of His Son,” Domenico Ghirlandaio’s fresco in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Florence. Public Domain.

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

September 4th is the day the church commemorates Moses, the human author of the first five books of the Old Testament. He was born in Egypt while the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. Since they were ordered to kill all their male children, Moses’ mother placed him in a basket in the Nile River to save his life. When Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby in the basket, she decided to raise Moses as her son. When he was eighty years old, God called him to the work of leading the Israelites out of Egypt toward Canaan. After God sent the ten plagues on the people of Egypt, the Pharaoh told the Israelites to leave his country. Once the first Passover was celebrated, Moses led the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, where God parted the waters to allow them to escape. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, but the people didn’t obey them. After the people’s disobedience, Moses led them for forty years of wandering in the desert. Moses was not allowed to enter the land of Canaan, although God allowed him to view it from a high mountain where he then died. Because he is such an important figure in the Old Testament, Moses appears with Jesus in the New Testament at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Let us pray: "Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Moses, You began the prophetic pattern of teaching Your people the true faith and demonstrating through miracles Your presence in creation to heal it of its brokenness. Grant that Your Church may see in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the final end-times prophet whose teaching and miracles continue in Your Church through the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 690-691.

Image: “Moses with the Ten Commandments” by Philippe de Champaigne. Public Domain.

09/04/2026

Bible Stories with Pastor Reed- 1 Samuel 16-17

09/03/2026

Gregory the Great lived in Rome at the end of the 6th Century. He served in the secular and sacred realms of his time. For several years he was the mayor of Rome, building up the city economically and politically. After he sold his properties and donated the proceeds to help the poor, he entered into church work. He became a priest and in 590 was elected to lead the Church in Rome. As Pope Gregory I, he introduced many changes in liturgical development including Gregorian chant. He emphasized the mission work of the church, encouraging missionaries to spread the Gospel into northern Europe and England. He established the Church Year Calendar still used by many Western churches yet today. He used his office to underscore the importance of pastoral care for congregation members by writing a book that became the standard for pastoral care until the twentieth century.

Let us pray: "Almighty and merciful God, You raised up Gregory of Rome to be a pastor to those who shepherd God’s flock and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people. Preserve in Your Church the catholic and apostolic faith that Your people may continue to be fruitful in every good work and receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with the You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 687.

Image: “Pope Gregory I”, Public Domain.

09/02/2026

The church remembers Hannah, the mother of Samuel, today. Hannah, a little-known woman from the Old Testament, is celebrated because of her fervor and persistence in prayer. The wife of Elkanah was barren to old age, but for years Hannah had prayed for a son. When God answered her prayers with a baby boy, she named him Samuel and promised to give him back to God. When Samuel was a young boy, she returned him for service to the house of the Lord at Shiloh where he was raised by Eli, the priest. Her prayer of thanksgiving was a song that foreshadowed the Magnificat, the Song of Mary centuries later. It begins with “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord.” (I Samuel 2: 1-10) “The name of Hannah derives from the Hebrew word for ‘grace.’ She is remembered and honored for joyfully having kept the vow she made before her son’s birth and offering him for lifelong service to God.” (p. 684)

Let us pray: "God the Father Almighty, maker of all things, You looked on the affliction of Your barren servant Hannah and did not forget her but answered her prayers with the gift of a son. So hear our supplications and petitions and fill our emptiness, granting us trust in Your provision, so that we, like Hannah, might render unto You all thankfulness and praise, and delight in the miraculous birth of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 683-684.

Image: “Hannah Brings Samuel to Eli”, author unknown, Public Domain.